Patna: The suspicious death of a NEET aspirant has ignited fresh tensions in Bihar’s capital, with women activists clashing with police during a protest march in Patna on Tuesday.
Members of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) marched from Gandhi Maidan towards the Bihar legislative assembly, seeking to highlight what they described as a sharp rise in crimes against women, female students and girls in the state. The protest, which began peacefully, escalated into confrontation as police attempted to block the march.
Trouble broke out near JP Golambar, where police erected barricades to stop the procession. Protesters broke through the barriers amid heightened sloganeering and moved towards Dak Bungalow Chauraha, where a heavy police cordon had been put in place.
At Dak Bungalow Chauraha, activists raised sharp anti-government slogans, accusing the ruling alliance of failing to ensure women’s safety. Chanting echoed through the area as protesters alleged that promises made before elections had given way to rising incidents of murder and sexual violence after the polls.
The protest formed part of the Beti Bachao Nyay Yatra, a campaign launched on February 4 from Jehanabad. The march began in the village of the deceased NEET aspirant and passed through Nalanda, Nawada, Gayaji and Arwal before reaching Patna. Activists had announced a gherao of the assembly after the march concluded in the capital on Monday.
AIPWA general secretary All India Progressive Women’s Association Meena Tiwari said that although the government had been in power for less than three months, “the morale of criminals has increased”. She alleged that in several cases families were pressured, CCTV footage concealed and forensic procedures avoided. Tiwari demanded that the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation and monitored by a sitting Supreme Court judge.
AIPWA state president Sohila Gupta accused the government led by Nitish Kumar of relying on slogans rather than action. “Today no woman is safe in Bihar — whether a child, a student or a working woman,” she said, warning that protests would intensify if concrete steps were not taken.
Police officials said the situation was brought under control after additional forces were deployed, though tensions remained high in parts of the city as the protest dispersed.
